This bright kid has a PAW-some mission.
The young man designs and creates handmade bow ties for shelter cats and dogs to help them find new forever homes.
The 12-year-old bow tie designer from New Jersey, Darius Brown, is all about making our four-legged friends happy and stylish.
Just imagine seeing a puppy with a bow tie. Wouldn’t that be the cutest thing ever? Well, this is really happening, thanks to this young man.
Darius may be one of the youngest CEO’s in the world. He is the founder of the organization Beaux and Paws. There he crafts beautiful bow ties for shelter animals, to make them look a bit more attractive for their potential new owners.
Talking about his mission for TODAY, he says:
“It helps the dog look noticeable, very attractive. It helps them find a forever, loving home … I love everything about dogs and cats.”
His passion for crafting stylish bow ties started as a way to help Darius himself. Sadly, when he was only 2-years-old, he was diagnosed with speech delay, comprehension delay, and fine motor skills delay. However, his family has encouraged him to start doing something with artistry with his hands so he could easily overcome his condition.
Darius’ major breakthrough happened when he was 8-years-old.
At this time, his sister, Dazhai, was in cosmetology school where she was making hair ribbons for little girls. The young boy was helping his sister, without realizing he was also helping himself. Dazhai shared:
“With his fine motor skills, he wasn’t able to really use his hands well — tying a shoe was challenging. My mother and I came up with the idea that if he helped us with things like prepping the ribbon or cutting it, and sewing fabric together, it would help him. And it did — it worked!”
This was the time when his amazing talent showed up. From the very beginning, Darius knew that he had to use it for creating positive changes to the world.
The true inspiration behind Darius’ mission was the devastating consequences of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in 2017. Hundreds of homes have been ruined and pets were left. Unfortunately, the animals had to be transferred to various shelters across the country. Due to the lack of adopters, the poor pooches often faced euthanasia.
The young enthusiast was determined to help the endangered pets appear more flattering and dapper to catch the attention of potential new owners. In fact, he succeeds with every single bow tie he makes!
When Darius was 11-years-old, he founded the pet styling company ‘Beaux & Paws’.
Along with designing bow ties for shelter animals, he creates these neat accessories for owners and their four-legged friends too. This juvenile CEO appears to be way better in running a company than many of today’s experienced managers, especially when it comes to being generous and giving back.
Young Darius started by donating his crafty designings to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Since then, he has already donated numerous stylish bow ties to animal shelters and adoption centers across the U.S. and theUnited Kingdom.
When a purchase is made, it helps him get resources so he could buy materials for the bow ties he would donate. As a bonus, Darius also donates a part of every sale he makes to ASPCA. Luckily, there are even some good people who have started donating fabric and supplies to this wonder kid, so he could continue doing his amazing work. As he says:
“The donations help a lot because we were just digging in our pockets, buying the fabric ourselves.”
His mother, Joy Brown, shares how proud she is of her little brave and amazing boy. She adds that even though he has overcome a lot in his life, he keeps going for the things he believes in. Besides, the bold entrepreneur’s sister, Dazhai, has launched a fundraising campaign inviting people to join Darius in his PAW-some mission to save even more cats and dogs.
“He motivates and inspires me everyday. He is such an incredible young man and I will do everything I can to help him on his journey. I’m supporting him in his cause 100% and I hope you will join me. No donation is too small.”
Apart from all the awards Darius received for his great work, he has also caught the eye of former President Barack Obama.
The President sent him a letter complimenting the young man for his brave mission. In the letter President Obama says:
“As long as you stay engaged in the world around you, continue looking for ways to help others, and never give up on yourself, I’m confident our future will be bright.”
A lot of people are reaching out to help Darius and his amazing mission. His example of providing genuine help to the shelter puppies is inspiring many.